Home Sweet Home

These are Val’s words. They’re not always the best words, but useful at the time of writing to get the ideas out from where they’re hidden.

I’ve always been a good writer. As long as I remember, people have said “What a good writer you are!” I’ve actually made money writing; my first job in D.C. was as a public relations writer and editor at a big association. (That after a Master’s degree in Medieval History!)

Good writing isn’t good enough. With an ultimate desire of publishing a really great children’s book, I’ve struggled since retirement from teaching to “get it right”, and that’s much more challenging than I thought.

A wonderful critique group has helped a lot, and I’m open to criticism. It’s like being a diner cook, and then deciding to take a job as a French chef — you have to rethink what you know about the basics.

That’s where I am now, rethinking, writing, and reading as much as possible. And trying to unblock my inner negative thoughts that tell me “this isn’t good enough”, or “that’s a stupid idea.”